One Moment in Time
by Noodle In a Can
Summary: Before Axl Low made his debut in the tournaments of the future, he was becoming engaged moments before the time rift claimed him. This oneshot describes his final moments in London that fateful Friday. AxlxMegumi.


**Disclaimer: **Blah Blah Blah, do I have to repeat that I don't own this? I wish I could…then I wouldn't be writing a fanfic! So, don't sue.

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This was it! What he lived for, a concert. He took his girl's hand and led her out the door to his small flat in the slums.

"C'mon, Megs, let's go!"

"All right, Axl."

He heard her laugh. His excitement seemed to spark something in the woman by his side. Axl always called her 'Megs.' Though, her name was Megumi, he had the nickname as an adoring alternative. Plus, it was easier to say. He looked at her dark hair and eyes as he stepped out onto the damp streets of London that Friday night. The blonde looked back at his small home while walking, hand in hers. Excitement shown in his eyes and that perpetual lop-sided smile could be seen, making it apparent he was happy.

Axl leaned down to kiss his girl's cheek. The Asian young lady giggled and held his hand tight.

"Axe, why did you want me to come along?"

"'Cause you'll like it!"

"You think?"

"I know, Love."

Her smile brought his heart to an irregular beat and it fluttered. She was his everything. Growing up on the streets and back allies of London, Axl only knew to live in the rough reality that was his home. His urban surroundings made his view a bit skewed and warped. The blonde soon found himself in gang relations and drug trafficking. This ceased with the young lady holding his strong hand.

Of course, on the opposite spectrum, was the British youth holding his hand. Megumi grew up in a decent home and even studied at a university and was still continuing her education to the present. It was a twist of fate how these two met. Axl, needing a few quid to get his rent paid, decided to sing for a part time band at a local pub. She happened to be there on one fateful night with her mates from the dorms, watching them make asses of themselves and the blonde singer on stage. To her, the man had a voice that resonated through the air like an angel.

From that day forward, she would show up the nights that he would perform, and soon they met each other and fell desperately in love. Though, by looking at them, a person would have thought the woman insane for staying by his side for so long. They were together up to this point. It had been two years, and a rough start for love. Axl moved up in the ranks of organized crime. Megumi, by one way or another, found out and the arguments with him resulted in tears on her part. But, unlike most violent men in the gangs of London, he would not hit, lie, or manipulate her. He was noble to his lady, and that was all that needed said about that.

Fits and angry words would fly from both of their mouths over him destroying his life and others by his actions. Finally, a week ago, within the heat of another argument, he made a promise to her that he would try and leave it. This was for her sake, and she threatened to leave him if he did not. Though, if it were up to him, he would not leave. It was all Axl knew and had known all his life.

Seeing death and hard living made the man's only survival tactic to base his life, live for the moment, not the future. He wondered, often, with Megumi by his side, if there was any other way. She had turned his world upside down, and it was at this angle that slowly made his life better.

Of course, this on this night would bring along more change than ever imagine. For change, and all its many ways, was the only constant for this couple. Unknowing what would take place, the two walked on. Axl had a surprise for her as they walked down a familiar street.

"Why are we going to the pub tonight?"

"It IS where we met, righ'?"

"Well, yes, but…"

He pulled her into a kiss as they walked into the older building. No protests were going to be made as he took her hand. His smile, his charm, that sparkle in his lively blue eyes made every other thought in the young woman's mind disappear. He tugged at her hand and pulled her into a seat in that English pub. The sights and smells of alcohol whirled around them, but neither cared as they kept the conversation light as he sat in the seat across from her. This was strung along for some twenty odd minutes until she struck up a question.

"When is the band playing?"

"Erm…"

"Erm?"

"Well…I-."

"Axl, where is the music?"

A large grin spread across his face. Megumi's eyebrows furrowed, confused. She was about to ask what was going on when he jumped to his feet and made a hasty retreat towards the counter. The woman watched as her love barter and talked to the pub owner to use the stage that night. Finally, he walked towards it with a laugh and an encouraging clap from the barkeep. Nerves finally set in as his eyes gazed out at the small crowd in the pub. He stepped up to the microphone and cleared his throat to speak.

"Hullo, folks. I'm Axl Low and…um over there's Megs, my girlfriend, say hi to her." He pointed to the table in the middle of the room where she sat. The young woman was bright pink from embarrassment as the patrons turned to look at her and say their friendly 'hullos.'

"We are celebrating our second anniversary and…thank you for the claps." He said with a chuckle as some drunken applause broke out with whistles and cheers. "I just thought it would be bloody brilliant to play for 'er. What does everyone else think?"

The vote was unanimous, had the patron's approval to sing his heart's content. Cheers and hoots were heard from some of the older men, which made Megumi giggle. Axl pulled up a stool and started to tune the guitar that was perpetually on stage for use by entertainers. Off beat claps were heard as he sang some tunes acoustically.

The Brit sang as he always did, carefree. The woman smiled as she watched her boyfriend play her favorite song, taking to that stairway to heaven. He stopped with a soft final strum of the final chord to look out as the crowd burst into shouts and hollers again. His blue eyes looked out at the crowd, spotting his girl, his heart was racing. Though, an odd feeling was at the pit of his stomach making him feel heavy and disorientated. He shrugged it off, thinking it was nerves.

He had a plan, for once in his life, for his future. One that he was going to make bright, the fate of his heart rested in the girl sitting at that small table. Though, fate is a fickle thing, it was about to make Axl's existence take a different twist. Unknown by this, he took the microphone once more. The sounds of people still talking loudly reverberated off the wall.

"I-I have something tha' needs said and asked." The room slowly became quiet as he paused. He looked awkward, sitting up there, almost as a child does at a spelling bee on stage. Megumi blinked, she was not expecting what was coming next as the man on staged looked at her.

"Megs, will you be there when I am old an' in a nursing home? I'll give you a ring…" Everyone started to whistle and talk loudly over the meaning of that, some were too intoxicated to realize what he had just said. Her eyes went wide as he stared into them. Blinking, he looked down and with a small laugh. Megumi scooted to the edge of the chair, gripping the sides of the table as he looked back up at her with a small blush across his face.

"What I mean to say is…" He took a deep breath, that feeling in his stomach started to lurch and spread through his chest. He felt like he was weighted down. Still, it did not feel like anything else but nerves. "…will you marry me?" There was a moment of silence. Megumi found herself on the spot, in shock. The patrons all turned to give her a look. She was speechless, eyes wide.

It sank it, slowly, what he had just asked. Tears formed in her dark orbs as she finally nodded. The room burst into more applause and cheers. Axl, elated by this, jumped off of the same and nearly ran to her side to wipe the tears away. She soon stood up, arms held out for him. He wrapped his around her small form, their lips met for a brief moment of passion. The world seemed to fade and move in slow motion as they looked at each other.

"I love you." She sobbed with happiness and his grin broadened.

"I'll get a ring when I can, Megs, I promise."

She was speechless once more, her arms still gripping his shoulders in their embrace. Axl was floating on cloud nine. Whispering lovingly in her ear he kept hold of her tight. Another lurch from that odd weight, this time it was felt in his toes. It was strange, he thought it was just his nerves, but now this feeling was revealing to be much more. The pull was impossible to ignore any longer.

Axl whispered in her ear that now would be a good time to get back home. Megumi readily agreed. The blonde smiled as congratulations flew through the air and they both waved as they left. He started to feel an odd jerk that rattled his brain as he ushered his girl out of the pub and down the street.

"Oh Axl!" Her heart was pounding for a different reason, her love for him. The woman's hand intertwined with his, fingers lacing. He gripped lightly, though his hand shook a little. Megumi must have noticed something was wrong as she turned to look at his face. He was not pale, and a smile was ever present on his face. She blinked a little as he leaned down to kiss her cheek.

"I'll walk you home, Love."

"…all right, but what's wrong?" He shook his head, maybe a cold or something. "Jus' a little under the weather tonight." Megumi nodded and smiled again, it was so romantic to think he did all of this, even with not feeling well. They walked along, his hand in hers as they talked of the future. Though, it was imminent and looming closer and closer to the blonde than he would ever expect as he reached the doorstep of her home.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Megs."

"Axl, rings can wait, just please, please find a way out of that gang of yours." He smiled a little less but nodded and gave her one last kiss, watching her as she walked through her front door. That was the last kiss he would ever get from her. Megumi never knew what would happen by walking away as she did. Axl looked down as his feet, body starting to sway. He opened his mouth as something formed around his boots, a blue hole of light. Before he knew, before he could scream for help, he fell.

Within falling into the odd time warp, he soon was deposited in the not so distant future. One of tournaments and fights awaited his new future and fate as he strives, even still, to get back to his love in London in 1989.

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After Thoughts and Author Comments: **Sad stuff, but it makes for an interesting oneshot, no? Hopefully everyone liked it. I made it slightly off, I think, from what really happened, but creative licensing is fun, don't you think:3 


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